CARING FOR MOB, CARING FOR COUNTRY

To support community engagement with and education about the new Australian Fire Danger Rating System, Aboriginal artist Emma Bamblett created an artwork to express the themes of the new system and to communicate the actions people should take at each fire danger rating level to stay safe.

This artwork was created to highlight the importance of communication when planning and preparing for fire risk, and of working together to ensure that families and communities are kept safe.

The green section at the bottom of the artwork represents the connection to Country. They are the hill formations representing the Land.

The white line above the green hill formations represents the No Rating scale on the Australian Fire Danger Rating System. It is there to let people know to be calm and wait.

The mid-section represents the four levels of the Australian Fire Danger Rating System. The green section with the circles connecting with curved lines represents the Moderate rating, which is the time to plan and prepare. The white dots around the circles are people meeting, gaining knowledge, awareness, and information to prepare.

The white lines with the straight lines represent moving, cleaning, and caring for Country. There are kangaroo prints across the land to represent the new life of nature and animals.

The yellow section represents the High rating. It lets the community know to be ready and act on its plans to keep safe. The lines within the section are the plans and actions that communities have prepared.

The orange section represents the

Extreme rating. This is where people take action to keep themselves and their families safe. The black cockatoo is sitting in the tree looking down and acting on the conditions; he has a bird’s eye view and is alerting everyone to the conditions on the ground. The curved grey lines with the dots are the community acting and following safety plans and announcements.

The red section represents the Catastrophic rating. This is when communities need to leave bushfirerisk areas for their survival. The lines within the section are markings on the trees that are left behind. They tell the stories of what has happened and raise awareness.

The next section above the red section is blue, representing the streams, rivers, and waterways that are used as water sources for firefighting. Rivers also represent the flow of knowledge and support that is shared when emergency services respond to bushfires.

The section with the curved blue lines represents the winds. They go in different directions to highlight the way we use them and the climate to forecast fire behaviour.

The wedge-tail eagle and the crow are birds that depict our Dreamtime creation stories. They are there to care for the people and the Land. They are our eyes in the skies, similar to the equipment and technology used in aerial firefighting.

The small blue circles are our emergency services professionals, who collaborate to support our work in research, awareness raising, and training to build resilience against the impacts of bushfires.

The figures that are gathered in the white section with the sun represent Traditional Owners and Elders. The sun influences fire behaviour with the heat it creates, and the Elders are guiding, supporting, and sharing knowledge of ways our people cared for Country. The dots streaming around them are their voices.

To the right side of the artwork is a brown section with purple circles and connecting lines. This area represents land management: working together to holistically care for land, Country, and communities, and collaborating to develop knowledge and continuously improve.